Adding Trevor Bauer Could Be an All-Time Great Bargain for Any Team

Trevor Bauer is expected to be released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, after the starting pitcher had his suspension reduced and is eligible to play in 2023. Signing Bauer would not come without baggage, but it could be one of the greatest bargain additions in sports history, Jack Vita writes.

After being reinstated by Major League Baseball, Trevor Bauer is expected to be released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to baseball insiders Bob Nightengale and Jon Heyman.

If the Dodgers do in fact release Bauer, they will pay his salary for the 2023 season, meaning that if a team were to pick him up, they would be acquiring a former Cy Young Award winner at an unheard of discount. Bauer's salary would be paid for by another team.

This could make Bauer a very appealing option to teams in need of another starting pitcher, especially teams that are hesitant to spend money.

Small market teams like Baltimore, Cleveland and Tampa traditionally have thrived off of making the most cost-effective moves when it comes to roster-building.

Big market teams that have already spent big and are trying to either stay below the luxury tax threshold, or limit luxury tax penalties could also be in play for Bauer.

It's a rarity when a club has an opportunity to acquire a Cy Young Award winner in the prime of his career, at the league minimum.

Bauer will not come without baggage, however. Heyman reports that Bauer's Dodgers teammates "would prefer he'd be elsewhere."

The team that takes the risk of signing Bauer, could add an elite starting pitcher for virtually free, perhaps the greatest bargain addition in sports history.

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